University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
Troy
Jess Jones Clinches 4-3 Win at Troy
February 26, 2015 | Men's Tennis
TROY, Ala. -- With all eyes on his court, freshman Jess Jones delivered a three-set comeback victory to secure the Tennessee Volunteers' 4-3 win over Troy on Monday at the Lunsford Tennis Complex.
Jones defeated Pablo Moreno 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 on court 4 in his first career deciding match, giving the 20th-ranked Vols (7-4) their first road win of the season. Troy, with three close losses to SEC teams this season, is now 10-5.
"Troy's fans were really into it, and their team was really competitive," Tennessee head coach Sam Winterbotham said. "It made for a high-intensity environment. They put a tremendous amount of pressure on us and pushed us to the wire It was perfect for us leading into the SEC season.
The Vols jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the match by winning the doubles point and then picked up straight-set victories from Mikelis Libietis and Jack Schipanski, but Troy edged back into the match to tie the score at 3-3.
Jones and Moreno were tied 3-3 in the third set on court 4 before Jones reeled off the final three games of the match to clinch the team victory.
"Jess did a phenomenal job after losing the first set," Winterbotham said. "Instead of letting that first set get the better of him, The closer it got, the better it played. As a coach, it was phenomenal to see. I'm really happy he was able to get that experience this early in his career."
Some players can go their entire career without playing in a 3-3 deciding match. Just 11 dual matches in his career, Jones can already check that off his list. The native of Warner Robins, Ga., is now 11-9 this season.
"I think he's growing every match," Winterbotham. "He's a great competitor and wants to win. That's a great quality, but he has to manage his emotions while challenging those instincts."
The Vols jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the match. The doubles point came down to court three, where senior Andrew Dromsky and sophomore Jack Schipanski won the deciding match 7-5 on court 3 to improve to 9-1 this season.
In singles, Libietis and Schipanski gave the Vols two more points via straight-set wins. Schipanski defeated Andy Lau 6-4, 6-1 on court 3. Libietis reeled off his career-best 12th consecutive victory, beating No. 89 Gabriel Dias 6-2, 6-4.
"Jack is really playing at a high level," Winterbotham said. "He's really starting to gel on the court. Mikelis continues to impress everybody with the quality and attitude. He's really leading the way."
Troy slowly worked its way back into the match. Hassan Ndayishimye and Daniel Bustamante collected straight-set victories on courts 2 and 5 respectively. Giovani Samaha tied the match 3-3 when he served out a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory over senior Brandon Fickey on court 6.
That set the stage for Jones, who was returning at 3-2 in the third set when the court 6 match ended.
The Vols are back in action Tuesday against Georgia Tech in Atlanta at 4 p.m.
Tennessee 4, Troy 3
Singles
1. #12 Mikelis Libietis (UT) def. #89 Gabriel Dias (TROY) 6-2, 6-4
2. Hassan Ndayishimye (TROY) def. Hunter Reese (UT) 7-5, 6-4
3. Jack Schipanski (UT) def. Andy Lau (TROY) 6-4, 6-1
4. Jess Jones (UT) def. Pablo Moreno (TROY) 4-6, 6-4, 6-3
5. Daniel Bustamante (TROY) def. Bartosz Sawicki (UT) 6-4, 7-5
6. Giovani Samaha (TROY) def. Brandon Fickey (UT) 4-6, 6-4, 6-4
Doubles
1. #3 Hunter Reese/Mikelis Libietis (UT) def. Pablo Moreno/Andy Lau (TROY) 6-4
2. Gabriel Dias/Hassan Ndayishimye (TROY) def. Bartosz Sawicki/Luis Valero (UT) 7-6 (7-1)
3. Andrew Dromsky/Jack Schipanski (UT) def. Austin Racine/Giovani Samaha (TROY) 7-5
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (3,1,5,2,6,4)
Players Mentioned
